- LoRaWAN is a low-power wide area network open protocol based on LoRa radio modulation technology. Aims to wirelessly connect battery-powered “things” to the Internet in a regional, national, or global network and targets key Internet of Things (IoT) requirements such as bi-directional communications, end-to-end security, mobility, and localized services. Node wireless connection to the Internet has access authentication, which is equivalent to the establishment of the encrypted communication channel between node and server. LoRaWAN protocol level is shown in the figure below.
- The Class A/B/C node devices in the MAC layer basically cover all the application scenarios of the Internet of Things. The differences among the three nodes lie in the different time slots for receiving and receiving nodes.
- EU868 and AS430 in the Modulation layer show that frequency band parameters are different in different countries. Please click the reference [link] for regional parameters.
To achieve LoRaWAN network coverage in cities or other areas, it needs to be composed of four parts: node (LoRa node radio frequency chip), gateway (or base station, LoRa gateway radio frequency chip), server, and cloud, as shown in the following figure.
- The DEVICE (node device) needs to initiate a network access request packet to the GATEWAY (gateway) and then to the server. After the authentication is passed, it can send and receive application data with the server normally.
- GATEWAY (gateway) can communicate with the server through a wired network, 3/4/5G wireless network.
- The main operators on the server side are TTN, etc.
Application
LoRa devices and networks such as LoRaWAN enable smart IoT applications to help solve the planet’s formidable challenges in energy management, natural resource reduction, pollution control, infrastructure efficiency, disaster prevention, and more. Semtech’s LoRa devices have achieved hundreds of successful use cases in smart cities, homes and buildings, communities, metrology, supply chain and logistics, agriculture, and more. LoRa networks have covered hundreds of millions of devices in more than 100 countries and are committed to a smarter planet. The examples here are based on the TTS (https://eu1.cloud.thethings.network/oauth/login The THINGS STACK) and the [https://github.com/Lora-net/sx1302_hal Semtech SX1203 libraries).
If you want to create the cloud server yourself, please refer to LoRaWan-Stack and chirpstack.